According to a new report by the World Health Organisation, Bacon is BAD! More accurately, the study says that processed meats like hot dogs, sausages and bacon can cause colon cancer and red meat is also a likely cause of the disease, World Health Organisation experts say, in a potentially heavy blow for the global meat industry.

The analysis of 800 studies from around the world by the International Agency for Research on Cancer – IARC – found “sufficient evidence in humans that the consumption of processed meat causes colorectal cancer”.

“Each 50-gram portion of processed meat eaten daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18 per cent,” it said in a statement.

The category includes meat that has been salted, cured, fermented or smoked, hot dogs, sausages, corned beef, dried meat like beef jerky or South African biltong, canned meat or meat-based sauces.

The finding supports “recommendations to limit intake of meat” particularly in processed forms, the IARC said :: Read the full article »»»»

25 years ago, in 1990, maternal and child malnutrition, unsafe drinking water and sanitation were the leading risks for death. Today, unsurprisingly, poor diet has overtaken third world problems as the biggest contributor to early death around the world.

According to new analysis from the leading authority on global disease diet is the second highest (clearly aside from age) killer.

Smoking cigarettes still carries the highest risk factor of premature death, followed by high blood pressure and obesity.

However, the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation – IMHE – says that a combination of dietary factors, from eating too few fruits and vegetables, nuts, and whole grains to too much sodium and cholesterol, is taking a toll on health across the globe.

The IMHE’s study found that the largest contributor to early death globally is high blood pressure, in which age and family history partly play a roll, but so do obesity, smoking, excessive salt consumption, lack of exercise, and drinking large amounts of alcohol.

Noteworthy, alcohol is also one of the top 10 risk factors associated with the highest number of deaths for both men and women.

The study looked at 14 dietary risk factors. Cumulatively, unhealthy eating, including diets low in fruit, whole grains, and vegetables, and diets high in red meat and sugar-sweetened beverages contributed to more deaths than any other factor, causing ischemic heart disease, stroke and diabetes :: Read the full article »»»»

STICKY: June 19, 2015 :: The New South Wales Parliament has passed new laws covering childcare centres and vaccination. From January 2016, childcare centres will be required to refuse the enrolment of a child whose parents or guardians cannot show proof of vaccination or provide an approved exemption.

NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner says parents who are seeking an exemption will first need to speak to a general practitioner. Childcare centres will face fines if they do not complete checks to ensure a child is vaccinated, or that they have exemption.

Health experts have warned of increasing instances of whooping cough across the state, which they attribute to low immunisation rates. A recent report found that in the far north coast town of Mullumbimby, less than half of young children were fully immunised.

The new legislation, an amendment to the Public Health – Vaccination of Children Attending Child Care Facilities – Bill 2013, allows exemptions for “medical contraindication, conscientious objection based on personal, philosophical, religious or medical belief.”

Greens MP Dr John Kaye says the Bill has the support of the Greens, who say the legislation doesn’t take away the rights of an individual to oppose immunisation.

The Australian Medical Association says the New South Wales laws should set a precedent for the rest of the country. But some child care workers are warning that it could put disadvantaged children at an even greater risk.

With the Federal Governments No Jab/No Welfare Payment policy ready to kickoff in 2016, anti-vaccination groups are surely becoming an endangered species, you’d think. In the last 10 years, the number of children whose parents have objected to vaccination has doubled. Almost 40,000 children haven’t been vaccinated and have a conscientious objection on their record :: Read the full article »»»»

Australian women are not meeting their nutritional requirements during pregnancy despite most believing they are eating the right foods, an Adelaide University study has found.

The study examined the eating habits of 850 pregnant women from across Australia and whether they were following the Australian Dietary Guidelines. Results showed none of the women involved were correctly following the pregnancy nutrition guidelines, but 61 percent mistakenly thought they were.

Several other studies have indicated a lack of health knowledge amongst pregnant women, including drinking alcohol, though the blame doesn’t always lie with the mother. Pregnant women have long been told the zero-tolerance approach to drinking is their best bet, another report highlighting the inconsistencies in information provided to expectant mothers

One study found that up to 80 per cent of women questioned in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom reported drinking alcohol while pregnant :: Read the full article »»»»

In Australia the war on obesity is heating up, three major health organisations want a sugar tax on all sweetened beverages – not just soft drinks, but products like flavoured milk and sports drinks – to limit consumption and curb what is shaping up to be the nations biggest health problem.

However, Australia’s Food and Grocery Council – the body representing the food and beverage industry – is hitting back against health campaigns aimed at reducing sugar consumption, prompting critics to compare the industry’s position to that of tobacco companies fight against smoking decades ago.

In the UK a similar campaign ‘Action on Sugar’ has just launched, in the hope of reversing the obesity epidemic by targeting the “huge and unnecessary amounts of sugar that are currently being added to our food and soft drinks”. The campaign’s expert advisors include heavyweights from the scientific and medical community.

Last month leaked draft guidelines from the World Health Organisation – WHO – suggested the organisation is considering halving the recommended daily intake of sugar from ten teaspoons to five. WHO’s “global strategy on diet” also says an unhealthy diet is a major risk factor for chronic disease and recommends reducing sugar intake to help prevent conditions like type 2 diabetes and dental problems :: Read the full article »»»»

The Tasmanian Government has extended indefinitely the state’s moratorium on genetically modified crops and animals. Tasmania is the only Australian state to have to a blanket ban on GMOs, genetically modified organisms :: Read the full article »»»»